Lochaber fairy forest to be axed

The Fairy Forest in Lochaber is set to be torn down despite pleas by its curators

A section of forest in Lochaber adorned with soft toys, streamers and glitter is to be torn down despite pleas from locals who helped create the area known as the Fairy Forest.

The popular woodland area on Achnacarry Estate, which has been a longstanding favourite with residents and visitors, is to be razed for a harvesting programme due to start in 2015.

Failed appeals to a number of bodies have ensured the seven-year project will now come to an end.

The curators of the forest have asked landowner Donald Cameron for five years to remove all of the objects from the forest, saying that taking away items in the space of a few months would be “impossible.”

In a letter to Mr Cameron, the women said they had been “extremely fortunate to have enjoyed 12 years of unique and magical involvement in your forest.”

One of the curators, a local women who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “We do hope he will listen to our plea to be understanding over something we have put our hearts into over many years. It would be impossible to undertake the task in a few months.”